Calendar

The official rules of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) 2020 Water Pollution Prevention Calendar Photo Contest

Photo by Bobby Vogt

Photo by Olivia DeLancie

Deadline for Submission: Aug. 19, 2019 11:59pm PDT.

Eligibility
The 2020 Water Pollution Prevention Calendar Photo Contest (“Photo Contest”) is open to all people who live, work, or pursue recreation in the City & County of San Francisco. Minors are eligible to enter the contest. Employees of SFPUC, as well as their immediate families (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of those employees are eligible to enter as well. See “Potential Winner Requirements” below for more details.

Sponsor
The Photo Contest is sponsored by SFPUC, 525 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA 94103 (“Sponsor”). This Photo Contest is in no way sponsored by, endorsed by, administered by, or associated with ShareFile or any other social media.

Entry Period
The Photo Contest begins at 5:00 pm PDT on July 18, 2019 and ends at 11:59 pm PDT on August 19, 2019 (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Photo Contest.

What to Enter
Every year, the SFPUC Water Pollution Prevention Program creates a vibrant and educational calendar for our customers. The calendar offers information on a variety of ways to prevent downstream pollution. The SFPUC distributes approximately 45,000 annual calendars to households, community organizations, and small businesses in San Francisco, providing winners with an excellent opportunity to reach a wide population with their work. For our 2020 Photo Contest, we’d like to see beautiful and/or interesting native plants, flowers, and landscapes in an urban environment.

Photo Specifications

Resolution: To ensure eligibility for the contest all entries must have a resolution of 6 million pixels or greater (6 megapixels) to be made available upon request.

Orientation: We accept photographs in landscape format ONLY.

Format: Entries may originate in any format but must be submitted electronically in .jpeg, .jpg or .gif format in FULL COLOR — including, but not limited to digital files, digital prints, color transparencies, and color prints. Multiple exposures that have been combined to produce a single "High Dynamic Range" image are acceptable.

Ownership: Previously published material for which non-exclusive rights were granted may be entered as long as you still maintain the right to grant us a license (see "Your Rights" below). You must be able to disclose when and where the photo appeared previously to the SFPUC upon request.

Content: Please include the name of the plant in the title of the photograph.

If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted, and must be able to provide copies of those releases to the SFPUC upon request.

Please do not include the following:

Photographs of pets or domestic animals.

Images of captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms.

Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including but not limited to copyright.

Images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife, or damage to the environment by the photographer.

Images that involve putting any individual or animal in danger.

The SFPUC shall determine entry eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion.

How to Enter

All images must be submitted using this form. You would need to download the fillable form, fill it out, and submit completed forms to our ShareFile site.

You will be asked to submit your name and email before you can submit images. This allows us to contact you regarding your submission. You will then be directed to upload files directly from your computer. You may upload an unlimited number of images, but you may not use an agency or automated system to upload. Digital images that are sent via mail or email will not be accepted.

Please format each file name as follows:

“LastNameFirstName_PlantName”.

Sponsor reserves the right to reject any additional entries or entries that do not comply with these Official Rules. By entering, you indicate your unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Official Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding. You cannot win a prize unless you comply with all requirements in these Official Rules.

Entrants may be asked to supplement their submission (such as with a paragraph about their photo or the highest resolution version of their photo) anytime on or after August 1, 2019.

Judging
Photos will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit and subject matter relevance to the subject matter at hand. Judging will be conducted by a panel of SFPUC employees and/or a group of guest judges to be selected by the SFPUC at its sole discretion (the “Panel”).

The Panel will evaluate all valid entries and select photos for inclusion in the calendar:

Cover

Monthly feature

Thumbnails for tips and recommendations on margins

The SFPUC will notify the winner via the contact information provided at the time of entry. Owners of the selected photos will be notified of their status within a month of August 19, 2019. All judging decisions are final. Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging. Those whose photos have not been selected will not receive a notification.

Potential Winner Requirements
If a potential winner is a minor, their parent or legal guardian may be required to sign documents on their behalf. If a potential winner fails to return these documents on time, an alternate potential winner may be selected in their place.

Prizes
In addition to the opportunity to have their work featured in the 2020 Calendar, winners will also be featured in our newsletters.

Winners are responsible for paying any income taxes and any and all other costs and expenses not listed above. Any prize details not specified above will be determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion. A prize may not be transferred and must be accepted as awarded.

A winner may not request cash or a substitute prize. However, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.

Your Rights
Your photos help protect our environment, San Francisco’s sewer system, and bring awareness to the impact that individuals can have on preventing pollution in the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean.

You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit - including ownership if applicable. If you submit a photograph to enter the Photo Contest, you grant the SFPUC a royalty-free, nonexclusive right during the Photo Contest to:

Allow third-parties to share the photograph on the following social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Pinterest to name a few.

If your photograph is formally honored by the competition as a winner or an honorable mention, you grant the SFPUC a royalty-free, nonexclusive right, in perpetuity, to:

Use the photograph in the SFPUC’s internal and external communications materials including but not limited to websites and web publications, fact sheets, fund raising publications, advertising, multimedia, presentation and membership services, annual report and the SPFUC printed material.

Provide your photograph to other individuals and organizations for the SFPUC-related use in news stories, newsletters, reports, slide shows, displays, web pages, videos, membership premiums, and the like.

Use, in connection with the Photo Contest, your name, city, state and country of residence in promotions and other publications.

Retain a digital copy of your photograph that will be archived in the SFPUC photo library and accessible to SFPUC staff via the SFPUC internal online photo archive.

The SFPUC will credit all photographs with the caption "Person's Name" when the full name is available.

General Conditions
In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Photo Contest is impaired in any way, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Photo Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Photo Contest; or (b) award the prize(s) from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and seek damages from any individual who tampers with the operation of the Photo Contest, violates these Official Rules, or acts in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Proof of sending any communication to Sponsor by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute as to the owner of an online entry, the authorized account holder of the e-mail address used to enter will be deemed to be the owner. The Photo Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

Release and Limitations of Liability
By entering, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, ShareFile, Facebook, their respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Photo Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Photo Contest; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) late or undelivered mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Photo Contest; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property. You waive the right to claim any attorney fees and any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

E-Supporter
When you enter, you may automatically become an e-supporter of the SFPUC. This includes special event invitations, digital messages and a monthly e-newsletter. You may cancel and unsubscribe at any time.

Privacy and Publicity
Any information you submit as part of the Photo Contest will be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. The information you provide when you enter is provided to Sponsor, not to ShareFile or any other social media. Except where prohibited, you consent to Sponsor’s use of your name in any list of winners (if applicable) and for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.